Make sure the fitting around the intake is tight, and your scoop is facing forward. If you're using the PA 14, you'll need to make sure you put the larger tube on your livewell. I made the mistake of going out with the smaller tube, and it never primed. Once you have the large tube, it will pick up water as soon as you start going, and will hold a prime all day.

If you turn off the livewell and just try to manually add water, you must put the plug back on the pump or the water will drain thru the pump.

Definitely make sure you have the longer tube on the live well. I never thought of switching it over and went out on the water with the short tube and was disappointed that it did not work. With about 2 minutes of work I switched everything to the longer tube and it has worked great since. Also, I like to unplug the small drain plug on the side of the live well and so if I turn around and lean can see the water coming out the side, and I know that the intake is not plugged and everything is working great.

The current instructions say the tube is long enough for the PA, but earlier versions came with a second longer tube for PA 14 use. Check to be sure the end is clear out the bottom of the boat and facing forward. You do need to pedal to get water flowing into the tube to prime.

I have filled the livewell 1/2 full & placed the unit on a bucket of water. I turn on the pump & the motor runs without pumping any water into the livewell. Very exasperating to spend so much without it ever working.

I think that would fall under the category of you have to be moving forward with the scoop facing forward to get it primed. It won't prime if it is just sitting in the water, there has to be movement to push the water up the tube.

saltwatersports: You probably should probably test this while it is ON your PA. If the tube you are using is the small one, it still will not keep a prime while it is on your kayak. I had this exact problem with mine. The long tube is exactly 7" (without the scoop).